madcougar

I was at Blockbuster Video earlier today looking to spend a GC I recieved for Christmas. They were still having their by 2 get 1 free promotion.

While looking around I came to the realization that BBV has a ton of used DVDs now. This past year I probably purchased a dozen or so. Since the number of DVDs they have available has grown, it seems as if their selection has improved. The DVDs I bought this year were all immaculate. Nary a fingerprint or scratch. Obviously no inserts.

There were several movies I paid $15 or better, all available for about $10. The idea to wait instead of buying brand new came to me. I know that on occastion BBV will only have full screen movies, or won't have the unedited version or whatever, so I would continue to buy those new. But does anyone here buy the majority of their DVDs used these days?

Now I realize that MANY people hate BBV. Many more will never buy something not in its original case. I'm not asking you guys. I'm asking people who already buy used DVDs.

CitizenFlynn

If I want a good used DVD, I head to EB Games or Gamestop. In fact, I just got Phone Booth and Fast Times at Ridgemont High used for $15.89 with tax from EB Games last week with a buy 2 for 1 deal on used DVDs. I contemplated on getting The Hours and Patriot Games: SE for only $14 at Gamestop in the mall, but decided not to. Maybe I'll get just The Hours, since Patriot Games had no insert.

Randy Miller III

I pretty much only buy used DVDs, especially since I started reviewing here and can no longer watch most new releases when they first come out. Saves me a ton of cash.

DarthVong

Probably 70% of my purchases are used DVDs. I buy from a local Exchange shop that deals in CDs, DVDs, VHS, Vinyl, Video Games.
Just the other day I picked up:

Moonraker $10.00
Escape From L.A. $6.00
Private Parts $8.00
Black Christmas $5.00
The Enforcer $6.00
Pirates of the Carribean $10.00
Dogma SE $8.00

The store I get them from has strict guidelines for trades, so the quality is always like new.

Max Bottomtime

Although I have bought many used DVDs, I would consider Columbia House if you don't mind waiting for a lower price. For the same used DVD at BB you can get a new one for around $9 at CH.

Jackskeleton

exclusively... No.

often and if there is a good deal on a title I don't have.. sure.

TomOpus

^^"that's a fact, Jack"

Qui Gon Jim

I second this sentiment. I still look for hot deals or used prices on stuff CH does not have such as Criterions and Disney as well as box sets which are a bit pricey for CH to ship... All those "bargain seekers" that are thrilled to pay $15 for American Wedding for instance could double their buying by using CH. Using the tips in the forums here I get most new releases for around $7.50. A DVD ffom the WalMart bins cost about $6.50 after tax and the selection is dubious at best.

QuiGonJosh

I have bought A LOT of used DVD's at quite good prices...

Gig

50% is used in my collection. All the disks are in mint condition except die another day, which is scratched but still works. U save alot of cash but dvd's now are fairly cheap anyway.

sracer

I did the CH thing for a cycle... it was then that I discovered, (A) their selection of films that I would be interested is extremely limited, and (B) although the "average" is $8-$10 depending upon the codes, you end up spending $19.99 for the same title that is in Wall-Mart's $5.99 bin as a fulfillment selection. Which isn't necessarily bad (again factoring in the "average" cost) but typically the title wasn't something I particularly wanted.

I used to buy a lot of discs used.. especially during Hollywood Video's 2 for $20 sales. I managed to get some great discs at some great prices. All of which looked like they never saw the inside of a DVD player.

Unfortunately, as DVDs become more popular and the popularity threshold lowered down into Jerry Springer country, the discs for sale looked like someone tried to get pork grease off of the data side with a Brillo scouring pad. (at the same time, HV changed their lifetime guarantee policy to 30 days)

So now, unless I can visually inspect the discs prior to purchase, I don't buy used discs anymore.

I primarily buy new these days... which isn't a bad thing... my collection has matured to a point where there are only a handful of titles I want (none of them currently on disc), and when they do get released, I have the good knack for knowing when to buy at a price drop.

DonnachaOne

sracer, I've never had your problem with Columbia House... expecially since, for your price of $19.95, I bought X-Men 2, Scarface, JFK SE and God knows what else. As far as selection goes, they seem to be widening it faster than any other vendor online. Granted, I'd like them to have Criterions and Disneys too, but it's harder to find good prices on them otherwise anyway.

DavidH

And you can find a selection of extremely limited films at Holloywood Video? Columbia House has FAR more many titles than Hollywood Video in the new and used DVDs dor sale combined. You don't have to spend 19.99 on a 5.88 Walmart bin title. Buy the 5.88 titles at Walmart while getting the more expensive stuff through Columbia House.

I don't like buying used DVDs from video stores for the following reasons:

1. NO video store sells them in the original keepcases around my area

2. Most put some kind of sticker that's a pain-in-the-ass to remove from the actual DVD

3. Nearly every used DVD has nicks on it

4. $10.00 is still too high for a previously viewed movie with the conditions I just mentioned. If they were $5.00 each, I would then consider. I rather get new DVDs for $8.00 avg. price through Columbia House.

5. Finally, ONE day, I will sell off many (if not all) of my DVDs for HD-DVD. People do not like buying previously viewed DVDs when you attempt to sell them on EBay or wherever else. You will get a far better return on non-used, well taken-care-of movies. I mean even now I sell titles once in a while - I have tried selling a couple previously viewed movies I purchased, and people just don't want them (and I can't blame them).

Now buying used DVDs untampered is different - say from the forum members, etc. But, there is a slight risk with that. However, I would do that before going the Hollywood Video/Blockbuster route.

Jim

sracer,

Sounds like you haven't used CH since they lowered the prices for new releases to $19.95-$21.95. Now you can even get pre-orders as your $19.95 fulfillments. I only open a few accounts a year and generally time them to coincide with some new releases that I would likely purchase anyway. I figure if I'm going to spend about $30-32 on a couple of new releases I might as well kick in another $20 and get another 6-7 DVDs.

As to the original topic, I bought quite a few used DVDs when I first started collecting, mostly James Bond and Disney movies that were on moratorium. I never see anything that is a good value anymore in the used stores that I want/don't have. All the stores I've been to generally price above CH so I just can't justify it.

DeadLamb

exclusively?? Errrr thought about it for a while.. Being I have a few places near me that deal in used DVD/cds etc..

Problem is that they don't 100% for sure get in everything right away.. sooooooo for example Underworld comes out next week and I'm sure costco and bestbuy etc will have it.. 100% sure in the case of bestbuy.

Or I can wait and be sort of sure it will show up used for $11-14 but always the outside chance it will not. Awwww but I want it now! heh I will say the one thing that seems to be exclusively to used stores now is my impulse buying.

With netflix and all the review sites like dvdtalk and the forum here and so on I almost never walk into any story and feel the need to buy a new DVD for say $18. Oh but used!? Ya just know you can't go home, read a review and hope the film is there when you come back. Odds are it will not be. So it's all about the box cover baby!! Also it's only in the used places where I see stuff like Mi2 for $8 or whatever.

As I'm sure most other collectors of DVDs will say, it's also harder to pass up the impulse buy when it's under $10. Even if you make 5 of them and it adds up quicky.

Iron_Giant

Used DVDs are awesome, I have had only one problem over the years.

Just purchase a very good DVD disk cleaner.

JimRochester

90% of my purchases are used. The only new I buy are with gift cards for presents, or those that I know will almost never show up on the used shelf.

jayson1017

If Criterion Collection dvds are available used and at bargain prices, then yes I would think about buying used movies exclusively.

cruzness

I find more and more that I am drawn to BBV and Movie Galerry for used stuff. Haven't had a problem yet.

spartanstew

Probably half of my DVD's are used discs that were purchased from the BlockBuster near my house. I've been buying them from BB for about 2 years and have yet to have a single problem.



The BlockBuster by my house does, you just have to ask for it. In fact, whenever I want I can stop in and pick up extra DVD cases for DVD's I might have burned.

BlockBuster used to do this, but they stopped almost two years ago. Of the 50 or so titles I have from BlockBuster, only 1 has a sticker on the DVD.

You're welcome to come and inspect any of my 50 and I guarantee that you won't find a scratch or nick on any of them. Of course, I inspect each one thoroughly before leaving the store and sometimes I have to try several of a certain title before finding one that's free from marks, but they're there.

If the conditions you mention are false, then it's not really too high. I buy most of mine from CH too, but I often find 3 DVD's at BB during their B1G1F deals that are listed at $9.99 each, so it's only $6.67 per DVD. Anytime I can walk in and find a title from my wishlist that's in perfect condition and costs less than $10, I'll buy it.

In other words, you don't watch any of the DVD's that you buy? NEWSFLASH: If you do then when you go to sell them on Ebay, they'll be considered previously viewed. If I ever decided to sell any of my DVD's from BB on Ebay, nobody would even know that it came from BB. All they would know is that it's a previously viewed DVD in great condition (perhaps without the insert). Of course, if you never watch any of the DVD's that you buy and they're all sitting on your shelves in their original packaging, then yes you're better off buying them new so that you can get more money for them on Ebay in a few years. Although that strategy lacks the same logic the other points do.



Stew

madcougar

thanks for the I knew you couldn't resist.

renaldow

I've started holding off buying new blockbusters and other mainstream films brand new, and just waiting for them to get previewed at HV. If it's something I must see immediately I'll rent it now, and satiate that desire, then wait for it to be on sale 2 for $20 a month or two later.

Many of the reasons given above for not buying used are fairly bogus in my experience. I don't think I've seen a sticker or other identifier on a DVD for years. Stores are usually more than happy to give you an original empty case for your purchase, and I also haven't gotten one that was sent through the meat grinder. At many stores you can see before you buy it because they just have empty cases on the for sale rack, and employees are glad to find a disc out of the multitude for sale that looks good.

When a store has an 'Instock Guarantee' on a movie, there's a good chance that disc may be watched only 2-3 times tops. Currently at HV by me they've had X2 and T3 on the guaranteed instock program, and I've never seen the display close to being empty. The ones being rented are the ones on the middle 2 shelves, everything above that and below that is going to be very pristine. From my experience, this is not that unusual.

As for CH having a better selection than the PV'd section at the local video store, I'd have to disagree. I've had 3 CH accounts, and while they do have a lot of films, most are not all that compelling to me. Since they are limited to what studios they can carry and video stores are not; over the span of a year the video store is going to have a better selection of new releases for PV'd content than CH is going to have for new content.

TLC

Giant,

What player do you use for your used (or rental?) disks? How freeze-free is it on them?

asianxcore

I buy used DVDs a lot and I only buy used dvds from places like The Wherehouse and Rasputin Music, simply because they dont bombard their DVD cases with stickers. The Wherehouse only has probably 2 stickers, and they are easily removeable and rarely do I have to spend tons of hours trying to remove sticker residue with tape. Same with Rasputin music, whose only sticker on their Used DVDs are the price.

I've only bought 1 dvd used from blockbuster and they put so much crap on it, i literally destroyed my case, it looks terrible right now. mustve had maybe 5 stickers on it (3 that were overlapping each other) and 2 that just didnt want to come off easily. So basically I stopped buying from Blockbuster.

Used DVDs are great, if you can find a copy of something you want in good condition.

MisterHowie

Unless the movie holds special significance or value for me, I generally buy used nowadays at Blockbuster, ebay or at other local video chains. It does save money especially when they have good deals. Blockbuster and Hollywood video use cheaper cases and do not include inserts usually, but their discs have no stickers on them. This other place I go, Video Wherehouse, always has a good standing deal (2 for $20) and a decent selection, but they put stickers that are not worth the trouble to remove on the disc center. At least they give you the original case and inserts. I see it as a small price to pay to get movies cheaper relatively quickly.